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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bass — low music
  7. staff — employees
  8. rest — a break
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hand — help
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. capital — money
  19. bass — the fish
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chip — to eat
  23. ball — a dance
  24. capital — a city

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com